Conflagration-fighting method



z June 23, 1959 L ROY MCBRIDE 2,891,624 j 3 CONFLAGRATION-FIGHTING METHOD I Q Fi led Jan. 22, 1957 IN V EN TOR.

- LEROY C MB/P/DE ATTORNEY United States Patent CONFLAGRATION-FIGHTIN G METHOD Le Roy C. McBride, Inglewood, Calif.

Application Janu'ary 22, 1957, Serial No. 635,385

1 Claim. (Cl. 169-1) This invention relates to a method for fighting conflagrations, generally, and those that are known as forest fires, more particularly, the latter usually including brush fires. It is an object of the present invention to create a back draft of such high degree as to arrest the progress of a conflagration or, at least, so materially slow the progress thereof, that the dousing of an area with water will become effective.

Forest fires extend to great heights and, in addition to any wind back of them, they create their own Winds that are frequently in the direction of unburnt areas. Thus propelled by high winds, such fires have been known to jump or leap across distances that may be measured in hundreds of feet. It is thought that this increased hazard of outdoor conflagrations is largely the result of fireheated air being pushed in advance of a wind-driven fire, said air being so hot as to produce substantially simultaneous ignition of all portions of a house or other building, for instance. In fact, this advancing wall of heated air is deemed to be the primary reason why water, alone, is not an effective fire-combating medium, the heat of such wall of air being so great that the water is converted into steam and is incapable of effectively reducing the ignition point of trees, shrubs, buildings, etc.

A further object of the invention is to provide a firefighting method that obviates, in a large measure, the preheating of the applied water so that the same may condition combustibles in the path of a forest fire to resist ignition by a wind-blown fire.

My invention also contemplates novel combinations of method steps which will appear more fully in the course of the following description, which are based on the accompanying drawing in which is shown exemplary means for carrying out the present method.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing apparatus deployed in a manner to carry out the present fire-fighting method and in the process of arresting a fire.

Fig. 2 is a somewhat enlarged side view, showing airmoving means in position to combat a forest fire or comparable conflagration.

The present invention comprises the general steps of creating a back draft or counter-wind in advance of an oncoming fire, and to provide water in quantities to cooperate with said back draft to inhibit combustion of elements in the path of such advance.

The latter step may be carried out by one or more pumper units 5 and one or more air-moving or windcreating units 6 may be used for realizing the firstmentioned step.

The units 5 may be generally conventional of hose and nozzle or nozzle-provided units conventionally used as part of the rolling stock of fire-fighting companies. In the usual way, such units may be provided with one or more nozzle-provided hoses 7 that may play water upon the elements-trees, bushes, houses, etc.-in the path of ice an advancing fire and particularly in the path of the advancing heat-created wind.

The air-moving units 6 may comprise, essentially, a support 8 that may be carried by wheels 9 and which may comprise either a trailer type of vehicle or an automotive vehicle, both shown in Fig. 1. Also, such support may be sectional or otherwise formed so that it may be easily airborne, as by helicopters, and moved, as needed, to otherwise inaccessible or strategic places in advance of a fire.

One manner of forming units 6 is to provide on the support thereof an air-moving fan 10 and a prime mover 11 for said fan. The type of equipment used in large aircraft or to move air in wind tunnels may serve the instant purpose. Thus, fan 10 may be in excess of ten feet in diameter and may embody blades driven at such high speeds as to move air at a hundred-mile-an-hour speed as it leaves the apparatus and, while diminishing in speed, as the same spreads out, nevertheless, being elfective to heights of eighty to one hundred feet upon an advancing wall of heated air to retard such advance. As shown in the drawing air shells 12 surrounding the fans 10 serve to confine the air stream forming air columns or air bores, control turbulence and enable the air stream to be directed and projected efliciently.

In most instances, on brush fires, for instance, the units 6 may fully serve to so retard the advance of a fire as to enable the same to burn itself out without the need for water. Where water is not available, this air-moving procedure may be effective. Of course, if water is available and may be used in combination with the back draft, the results may be more rapid and the fire arrested in easier fashion.

Since the prime movers 11 are necessarily power machines, the power created thereby may cool or refrigerate the ambient air before the same is propelled by the fans 10. Some fires may be more easily extinguished by embodying moisture in the air that is being directed onto such fire or against an oncoming heat wall of air. To this end the air so directed may be initially provided with moisture or the hoses 7 may be so played as to direct water into the air blast to be carried by said blast into the fire or into the heat wind to douse or cool the same, as the case may be.

While each unit 6 may be self-powered, in the manner disclosed, it is clear that the same may receive its power from units 5 which, in any case, are already provided with a power plant to operate the pumping apparatus. The combination, as a single trailer or automotive unit, of a water pumper and a wind machine may be effected and, thereby, facilitate carrying out the steps of the present method.

Also, the fan 10 and/or its prime mover 11 may be mounted in a manner to be tilted so that the stream of air may be directed either straight forward or upwardly at an angle, and the fan may oscillate, if desired, and the unit should be mounted so as to turn 360.

It is believed that it is clear without further illustration that for certain conditions the means for creating the counter-wind may be a tank for compressed air that has an associated air compressor for compressing air at the scene of a fire. A suitable outlet hose connected to such tank may be used to direct air under pressure from the tank toward a defined portion of the fire. The compressor is operable at the same time that air is discharging from the outlet hose, and in use the compressor and compressed air tank are disposed farther away from the fire than the nozzle of the hose, in order to compress air that is as cool or cooler than at the nozzle. It is also to be understood that non-combustible liquid or solids, or both, may be introduced into the air stream to aid in extinguishing the fire. Water, of course, would be the preferred non-combustible liquid, which would become a mist when introduced into the fast moving air stream.

While I have illustrated apparatus and described what I now contemplate to he the best mode of carrying out the steps of my invention, the same may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to the particular form of my invention as herein disclosed, but desire to avail myself of all modifications thereof that may fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A fire fighting method which comprises the steps of Y forming a column of air and projecting it at high velocity toward an oncoming fire for forming an air blast to re- 15 2,238,120

tard the progress of the fire, and selectively playing hose streams of cold water into the air blast in any desired directions that are independent of the direction of the air blast to cool and turn back the wall of heated air in advance of the fire.

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,116,443 Kopperl Nov. 10, 1914 1,351,700 Smith Aug. 31, 1920 1,586,997 Hull June 1, 1926 1,598,568 Fields Aug. 31, 1926 1,993,635 Towt Mar. 5, 1935 Launder Apr. 15, 1941 

